Friday, January 8, 2010

Blarney Puffballs, Take Two
Now that I have a *gasp* real deep fryer,
I decided to try to make The Irish Lion's trademarked Blarney Puffballs again.


My mise en place:
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes,
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, grated or minced
2 tablespoons onion (or 1/2 shallot), grated
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 slices cooked bacon, minced
1 egg
½ cup bread crumbs, for dredging
Peel and cube the potatoes before adding to some water and sprinkling with some kosher salt. Cook the potatoes in the microwave for about eight minutes, until fork tender.
Add the butter and mash until fairly smooth. Place the potatoes in the refrigerator to cool.


Meanwhile, grate the garlic, onion or shallot and cheese. Mix together with the minced herbs, flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, bacon, sour cream and egg and set aside.


Once the potatoes are cooled, mix in the other ingredients and put everything back into the refrigerator for another couple of hours.






Use a one-inch cookie scoop to measure out the right amount of potato mixture and then either gently roll into a ball or flatten the ball into a patty.


The puff balls or patties are then dredged in bread crumbs.



Put the puff balls or patties back into the refrigerator to firm up before frying.






The patties can be fried, a few at a time, in hot oil in a skillet before draining on a rack. The puff balls can be deep fried in oil that has been heated to 350 degrees in a pot or deep fryer.





Fry a few at a time until they are a golden brown. Drain on a rack after cooking.



The finished potato patties or puff balls can be held in a warm oven until dinner time.


Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chives, if desired.









I think I've got this just right.
Thanks again, Rosie Hawthorne, for your help with recreating this recipe.


Potato Puffballs

Crispy on the outside, these potato puffs are creamy and ...

See Potato Puffballs on Key Ingredient.










5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ay, dios mio, no medianoche from the leftover ham? But you did make ham loaf - I love you for that.

Philly Phoodie

Anonymous said...

We're so happy to have found this recipe at your site while searching for blarney balls for St Paddy's Day. We loved the Lion during our IU days and can't wait to make this treat tonight. Thanks for the posting.

Anonymous said...

There is someone else in the world who loves The Irish Lion's Blarney Puff Balls and created a recipe to replicate them! I cannot wait to try. Thank you for creating this recipe and for posting it!

Anonymous said...

I was trying to think of something yummy to make and this was the first thing to come to find. I was ecstatic to find this recipe!! Thank you so much!

Unknown said...

Been trying to get this recipe forever! Thanks a bunch.